Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Today marks the fifth anniversary of my blog! Time has flown by. Over the past five years, I shined a spotlight on why we should embrace virtue. Vice and virtue oppose each other, and when we turn away from sin, we draw closer to virtue. In turn, virtue draws us closer to God. To me, that’s a mighty good reason for embracing virtue, as I would like to grow closer to God. I’ve seen the blog morph over the years, by adding some posts on spirituality. Sharing information about the saints, and how they embodied virtue, brought forth a sense of spirituality to the blog posts. This spirituality only enhanced the emphasis on embracing virtue. As we continued this journey, together, I began to review good books written by Catholic authors. Many of these books either directly dealt with virtue and spirituality or had characters who espoused virtue worth modeling. Read more...

Dancing demands a freed person, one who vibrates with the equipoise of all his powers. I praise the dance. O man, learn to dance, or else the angels in heaven will not know what to do with you.                 Saint Augustine Is joy at the heart of your life in Christ? Many Catholics feel beleaguered as they struggle to stand up for the truth in an increasingly hostile environment. Of course, it is easy to become so busy addressing serious moral and religious issues that our spirituality is relegated to Sunday Mass and a few Hail Marys rattled off on the run.  However, if we are determined to be effective agents of change in society, we must make time to learn how to live in, with, and through Christ. Only when we are filled with the power of Holy Spirit, we will witness effectively with joy, with a dance in our step. The average Catholic probably thinks sanctity is for a select few and certainly does not associate play with holiness continue reading 

If we are brutally honest, most Catholics must concede we view the world as if we stood at the centre of the universe with everyone and everything else revolving around us. This egocentric stance affects how we think, feel, act, and pray. Even though many committed disciples have renounced a ruthless pursuit of power and money to serve God and His people, most of us still function more conscious of self than God, living daily life in a state of interior isolation, not in communion with the Holy Spirit. What this self-centered viewpoint meant in my own life was I only appeared saintly on the surface as I mothered nine little people. Despite the fact I honestly longed to live in constant communion with the Holy Spirit, I was focused more on myself than on Christ. read more

Fallen man wants to run his own life and take control. Letting go of this control seems extremely difficult because it is hard to trust a God you cannot see and usually cannot feel or hear.  However, when we refuse to give up control and submit to the Father, we shut out the power of the Holy Spirit. Once we shut out the movement of the Spirit in our lives, we are left with only our own energy as we deal with our daily issues.  We are bereft, feeling like we must  fix our own problems and those around us. However,  man was not created to function like God. I think of it as acting like little vacuum cleaners sucking up everyone’s problems and pain when it is God’s job to purify us and our family in His power, mercy and grace. continue reading

As Catholics, we are often leery of personal revelation because we are afraid of being deceived but, really, do we trust more in the power of God or the devil? Of course, we should be cautious but what are we so worried about?  The Church protects us with the gift of confession, the mystical tradition of the Church, spiritual direction and encourages us to study the bible.  All theses tools act as personal sign posts and safeguards. Like all  Christians, Catholics  have received the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth and to recognize the lies of the devil. continue reading

I'll be giving up skydiving for Lent again this year: also mountain climbing, another activity I am profoundly unqualified for and uninterested in. ( February 13, 2013 ) So, what am I doing for Lent? Some folks in my circles are going offline for Lent — refraining from socializing online. That's a good idea: but I won't be changing my online habits. Not much, anyway.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I do not want to die, only to discover I was playing society’s games,  games which were dependant  on the time and place I was born, rules which changed constantly.   I do not want to be so caught up in work, business, squabbles about doctrine and ritual, that I lose sight of Truth. How devastating to stand before Christ and realize that I could have been His presence on earth, a window of light and joy, radiating His love and mercy but lost my way. I can be His hands and feet and ears and whisper words I hear the Father speak to his little ones   I need to allow Love to transform me, so Love flows through me. Period. I flooded my mind with these verses from scripture today to remind myself everything  turns to ash when we die, everything but His Love in us. continue

If you asked a typical Catholic, “ Are you stealing God’s job?” , they would laugh out loud at such a ridiculous question and emphatically deny it.  I know I did.  Granted, the wording of this question is designed to shock. Yet the question is also meant to provoke self- examination.  After someone asked me this question, I examined my life and was surprised at what I discovered. I realized like almost everyone else, I was trying to fulfill the role of God in my day-to-day life. It is an easy trap for most modern people since we are pressured by obligations. In an attempt to cope, we resort to rushing around independently without God. We seize control as we  try to be ever more efficient with little time to relax, pray or socialize. The result is we end up living in isolated, man-made prisons that shut out other humans, never mind other living creatures and God.  Instead of seeking communion, each of us exists at the absolute centre of our little artificial universe.  The conse

  May is Mary's month, but we celebrate "Our Lady of the Rosary" October 7th, which commemorates the naval victory of Lepanto over the Turks. The pope at the time, St. Pope Pius V, had asked the all of Europe to pray the rosary for victory because the Turks were poised to invade Italy. The victory was won, even though the odds were stacked against the Catholic forces, freeing many Christian slaves on board the Turkish ships. The Art of Anna Szmatuła . By 250 A.D. Christian Prayer to Mary was widespread, rising to the level of liturgical prayer. In a beautiful Coptic papyrus, dated circa 250 A.D., is inscribed the following prayer:  Under thy compassion we take refuge, Theotokos [Birthgiver-of-God]; do not disregard our prayers in the midst of tribulation, but deliver us from danger, O Only Pure, Only Blessed One. continue>

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” – Matthew 5:9 How do we deal with the violence, war, and conflicts that we face in our world today?  How can we serve as true peacemakers in our 21st century culture? St. Bernard of Clairvaux , a Cistercian abbot, a contemplative, theologian, and mystic of the twelfth century is an excellent example for us to follow. Due to the numerous schisms which had arisen in the Church during his age, he traveled extensively throughout Europe, restoring peace and unity. Not only did he deal with divisions in the Church, but he also mediated in secular disputes and was sought out as an adviser and an arbitrator by the ruling powers of his era. What was his secret for restoring peace and unity to a troubled world? He was merely a modest monk with no worldly power or possessions. What made him so influential and valuable to others was the fact that he was a man of heroic virtue. Which virtues made him effective as a peac

Just like C.S. Lewis, I was  Surprised by Joy . Of course there are certain serious Catholic bloggers who have a problem with my spirituality. Often traditional, Pre-Vatican ll prophets of doom, who religiously fast and recite prescribed set prayers for hours each day, take exception to my childlike spirit of joy. Yet this path was not of my choosing. I craved a life which would embrace an intense regime of self-sacrifice as a consecrated, contemplative religious.  When God called me to marriage and to be a mother, I really did feel like I was accepting second best. Then, twenty years ago, a consecrated, contemplative who served in a  listening house,  said to me, ” You really have been given the best of both worlds. You are married with children yet you are living the contemplative life.” Her response still brings tears to my eyes. To live a childlike spirituality of joy is not easy for a modern day adult.  Of course St. Therese understood this humble, little way

For hundreds of years, spiritual directors in  the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic  and Protestant churches, have used the metaphor of an onion to explain the spiritual life. I have referred it for decades because it is a perfect symbol, an image that really is worth a thousand words. It is easy to become discouraged when I seem faced with the same issues, wounds and weaknesses again and again. The mistake is to believe that nothing has changed since the last confession and subsequent experience of grace. That the encounter with the Divine was ineffective, that it was a failure. Nothing could be further from the truth.                                           The reality is that I am human and as an earthling, living in a body, made from dust, I must allow the Holy Spirit to transform me slowly.  continue reading> Share this: Press This Google Twitter 2

“ When we carry God in our hearts, we are at home anywhere. ” ( The Living Pyx of Jesus, by a Religious, Pelligrini and Co., Australia, 1941)  An encounter that I had longed for, searched for but it had become a brittle dream, a dry leaf long abandoned. I felt   empty, despondent with all inner resources depleted. A mere shell. Yet deeper than the despair Existed a spark of yearning, an ache of hope that was  nonverbal, even preverbal A common yearning in all humanity. Unexpectedly, a mere glance slipped silently into the dark cave within me Like a wisp of smoke suddenly bursting into flame As if the dry litter in my heart was merely tinder, feeding this ethereal fire. A surge of heat surged through my inner self, Seeping into my muscles, soothing my mind. continue>

A phrase pierced my heart and  brought tears to my eyes today. It is not originally from a Catholic, or even a Christian.However, this quote is similar to biblical and Catholic sayings from the saints. Perhaps it was the modern wording but it pierced my heart right to the quick, where my secret longing, my true heart’s desire lies. The words were, ”we are all just walking each other home” ram dass Yet heaven is also within us. We can learn to live in our true home while we are on earth. A obscure little book on spirituality reminds me of this fact . “When we carry God in our hearts, we are at home anywhere.”  (from  The Living Pyx of Jesus , by a Religious, Pelligrini and Co., Australia, 1941) + Even better, when we live in the heart of God, we are at home no matter where we are. continue reading>

‘Whoever flees from prayer flees all that is good.’ St. John of the Cross Prayer. We often think of prayer as something difficult, especially contemplative prayer. If we read the classics, written by the saints, it seems to take years of arduous training to pass through gradually ascending levels to reach the pinnacle of prayer, complete union with Christ where we can say with St. Paul,“No longer I that lives but Christ that lives in me.” Yet after living with children for 34 years, I have good news, tidings of great joy for you. If I allow myself to relax and surrender control,  like a child trusting in her heavenly Daddy, I discover that it is God who heals, purifies and transforms me into His presence on earth. This process is all about Him, NOT me. My efforts, discipline, asceticism will not earn me union with God. This is not a competitive race to see who will succeed. This is a difficult concept to grasp for the modern Western mindset. I experienced  an eurek

The words prayer and contemplation intimidate many people but the reality is that prayer is simple, so simple that it eludes many adults. Rest in God and enjoy God in the silence. Sometimes we need to simply cease our activity, live in the moment and breathe in God. This is reality. When the Spirit flows in and through us we are in sync with everything and everybody. We are part of the Trinity, part of the human community and part of the communion of saints. How do we relax into this state? In and through prayer. Have you ever noticed that every liturgy begins with a blessing of peace and simultaneously a call to prayer because they are intricately connected. L: “Peace be with you” P: “And also with you.” L: “Let us lift up our hearts to the Lord” P: “We lift them up to the Lord” L: Faithful and gracious God, we seek to draw nearer to you in this time of devotion and prayer. Open us to your word that we might be guided in your Spirit toward all truth and love,

When many Christians think of  humility and sanctity, they often think of ascetic fasting and the heroic acts of the saints but these sorts of practices often focus more on self than on God. It is actually a subtle sort of self-delusion that is difficult to discern but God is finally getting through to me, helping me shake of self-defeating,  pious actions that actually drive me further from God. I cannot earn His love or Presence. He must do everything in me. This is true  humility. Pride  entices me to work harder, pray more, fast religiously and perform heroic looking acts of virtue.   Humility  accepts that only God can save me and other people WHY? We must come to the realization that we need a Saviour. It usually takes, even Contemplative Monks decades to finally let go of the last of their pride and to humbly surrender control. Pride makes us try to earn our salvation with good works. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—an

painting by J. Kirk Richards Think about the last time you broke a rule (a big one,  not just ripping the tags off your pillows).  Were you burned, or did things turn out for the best?  I did not simply break a rule here and there;  no, like every other human being, I continually break the most fundamental law of the universe without any conscious effort by refusing to accept reality. Instead of realizing my place in the universe, as one of God's creations, I put on masks and false personalities in a vain attempt to deny my very nature. In pride, I act like a queen at the centre my own little world. According to Thomas Merton ( Seeds of   Contemplation ), a frog or tree are holy simply because they are who they were created to be. On the other hand, I broke all laws of nature out of pride. Steeped in delusion, I clung to a false persona and refused to relax and accept the reality that I am not the centre of the universe. The result? I was not simply burned. Oh

I went on a image  search binge  this week, unearthing countless images of Mary onto and from Pinterest.  It is an eclectic mixture with everything from obscure fine art, modern abstracts, old, icons, stained glass, statues and even ethnic and folk art.  So in honour of the Feast of the Holy Rosary, a collection:  Mary in the art of J. Kirk Richards Annunciation many more images> >

It was Padre Pio da Pietrelcina’s feast day, yesterday, September 23. 40 years after his death, Padre Pio looks like this. Padre Pio quotes  “Don’t allow any sadness to dwell in your soul, for sadness prevents the Holy Spirit from entering freely.”​ “Joy, with peace, is the sister of charity. Serve the Lord with laughter. ”  “Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. read more>